Legislator Calls TSU President’s Speech 'Racist'

Sen. Jim Summerville, R-Dickson, walked out of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day banquet hosted by the Dickson County NAACP after what he calls “racist” remarks by Tennessee State University President Dr. Brenda Glover. Glover, who earned a law degree from Georgetown University, described a “selfish government and cruel electorate” that she said has shown disdain for President Barack Obama because of his skin color. At that point, Summerville said, he got up and left. In an interview Monday night with the Tennessean, he described that portion of Glover’s speech as bigoted and false. Glover disputed the characterization and said she has reached out to Summerville to discuss it.